We are lucky enough to get to be in Portugal for the month of October. We have 5 days in Lisbon, a week in the Algarve, and 3 days on Madeira reserved. We are hoping to go into southern Spain to Seville, Ronda, and Granada for a few days as well as see much more of Portugal (the smaller towns as well as Porto). We will have a car after Lisbon. We are flying to Barcelona from Porto for the last 5 days. My questions—what towns/areas should we not miss
—-do you think we can “wing it” in Spain and the smaller towns of Portugal or do we need to have reservations
—-should we try to stay in Sintra or day-trip it from Lisbon
Posted by
Washington, DC
18 posts
We spent a week in the Alentejo in 2017 and found it so lovely and laid back. We stayed at the Torre de Palma Hotel which was a lovely resort with ancient Roman ruins on its site and then moved to Evora which we used as our home base for touring a bunch of smaller towns and wineries around Evora like Monsaraz, Elvas, and Vila Vicosa + Estremoz (the marble towns). We loved Evora. I really enjoyed getting a bit off the beaten path and it was nowhere near as crowded as the Algarve or Southern Spain at the same time of year. (We did a day trip to Seville at some point during the trip and were blown away by how crowded it was in comparison.)
In the Algarve, we stayed in Tavira for a week, which is closer to Spain, and took a day trip to Lagos. In retrospect, I would have probably have split the week between the two cities as they have different scenery and I actually preferred Lagos.
I have done day trips to Sintra on two separate trips to Lisbon (both via train) and it is doable but definitely quite harried. If you have the time, I think an overnight would be much more relaxing.
Posted by
Tunbridge Wells
6113 posts
I prefer Tavira to Lagos and in October, the weather can be cooler, mistier and windier at the western end of the Algarve (i.e. Lagos). You can take the train from Tavira to VRSA then take take the ferry over to Ayemonte in Spain for lunch. Visit Alcoutim, Fuseta, Olhao and Cacela Velha. Head inland and take a walk around Rocha da Peña for something very different to the coast.
You can easily spend a week/10 days exploring the towns between Lisbon and Porto, such as Evora, Obidos, Batalha, Alcobaca, Tomar and Coimbra. I wouldn’t want to spend time trying to book accommodation as you go, as most is done online, so book before you travel. Mid/late October means school holidays for much of northern Europe.
If you are taking the car into Spain (which you may barely have the time to do), make sure that you notify the car hire company, otherwise the insurance will be invalidated. If staying in Tavira, head across the Guadiana river into Spain as the petrol is cheaper and visit the excellent fish market in Huelva. Get a transponder with the car for the toll roads.